Breathing Pattern Irregularities in Students with Mild Self-Reported Anxiety During Academic Stress: An Observational Study

Abstract

Background: Breathing is an essential physiological process influenced by the respiratory and autonomic nervous systems. Stress and anxiety may alter normal breathing through rapid, shallow, or irregular respiration. Academic pressure is a common stressor among college students and may contribute to mild anxiety and breathing pattern changes. Objective: To observe breathing pattern irregularities in students with mild self-reported anxiety during periods of academic stress. Methods: An observational, single-time-point study screened 30 college students. Participants were screened using an STAI-based self-reported anxiety questionnaire. Twenty-one students who screened positive for mild self-reported anxiety completed the BPI assessment and formed the analytic sample, which comprised participants aged 17–23 years. Descriptive statistics, Shapiro–Wilk testing, a one-sample t-test against the scale midpoint of 40, and age–BPI correlation analysis were used. Results: Among the 21 students with positive screening results for mild anxiety, the mean BPI score was 52.24 ± 6.04/80 (median 49; IQR 48–58; range 46–67). BPI severity was classified as mild in 12 students (57.1%), moderate in 7 (33.3%), and severe in 2 (9.5%). Scores were non-normally distributed (Shapiro–Wilk W = 0.834, p = 0.002), while the mean BPI score was significantly higher than the theoretical midpoint of 40 (t(20) = 9.284, p < 0.001). Age was not significantly correlated with BPI score (r = 0.033, p = 0.887). Conclusion: The study demonstrated measurable breathing pattern irregularities among students with mild self-reported anxiety during academic stress. The presence of moderate and severe BPI scores despite mild self-reported anxiety highlights the value of objective breathing assessment and supports preventive physiotherapy approaches such as breathing retraining and stress-management strategies.